Laboratory environments present many challenges for instrument design and the conducting of experiments and procedures. In particular, chemistry laboratories often contain fume hoods with equipment that require the circulation of cooling fluid therein. Such equipment may include, but is not limited to, rotary evaporators, lasers, reflux condenser columns, distillation columns, etc. These types of equipment are commonly used in universities and research and development entities.
Various techniques are known in the art for providing the necessary cooling to the foregoing equipment. For example, tap water may be directly used for cooling a device. Thus, in the instance of a condenser column, tap water may flow from a gooseneck spigot through a hose to the column's outer jacket and is subsequently disposed of through another hose down a drain in the fume hood that connects to the municipal sewer drain. This arrangement suffers from several drawbacks which include the use of large amounts of water that is simply wasted down the drain. In addition, the fume hood risks potential flooding if the cooling hoses become disconnected and the faucet is left on. The condensers must be closely monitored to ensure that large amounts of water do not accumulate, which can damage the fume hood, the equipment therein, and even the laboratory generally (floors and surrounding equipment).